Alert Update: Libya: All Ethiopian and Somali Refugees Deported 16 July 2007 Refugees held at the detention facility in Misratah, have been deported to their homelands where they may be arrested and tortured upon arrival. ----------------------------------------------------- Islamic Human Rights Commission ----------------------------------------------------- 16 July 2007 Alert Update: Libya: All Ethiopian and Somali Refugees Deported 1. Summary All Ethiopian and Somali refugees held at the detention facility in Misratah, Libya have been deported to their homelands where they may be arrested and tortured upon arrival. Several hundred Eritrean refugees held at the same facility believe that they will be next. Their fears have been confirmed by announcements made by official Eritrean media that Libya will be deporting all such refugees, including Eritreans. 2. Background According to recent reports, all Ethiopian and Somali refugees held at the detention facility in Misratah, Libya have been deported to their homelands where they may be arrested and tortured upon arrival. These refugees had fled their respective countries of origin to escape oppression and ill-treatment. The Eritrean refugees, currently detained in Misratah, believe they will be deported next. According to Amnesty International (AI) reports, the Eritrean refugees had their personal details recorded by prison security officials a few weeks ago and some of them were informed that they will be deported. AI reports further state that the official media coverage in Eritrea has confirmed the fears of these detained Eritreans. Radio and television channels in Eritrea announced that the Libyan authorities will be deporting all ‘suspected irregular migrants, making specific reference to Eritrean nationals’. If these Eritreans are deported then it is believed that they will be tortured and held incommunicado, without charge or trial, ‘as punishment for “betraying” the country or fleeing military service’. You can read more about these recent developments in AI’s report at http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE190102007?open&of=ENG-2AF For a detailed account of the conditions of these refugees, please visit IHRC’s briefing http://www.ihrc.org.uk/show.php?id=2835 Please refer to our previous alert about the refugees in Libya at: http://www.ihrc.org.uk/show.php?id=2836 2. Action Required Please write letters of appeal to the following, you can use the letter templates provided in the previous alert, adding to them the above-mentioned recent developments. a) Write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your country requesting them to appeal for the welfare of the refugees in Libya. UK campaigners can write to: Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP Foreign & Commonwealth Office King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH Fax: +44 0207 839 2417 Email: private.office@fco.gov.uk b) Write to the Libyan Ambassador in your country urging him/her to treat refugees in accordance with international human rights standards. UK campaigners can write to: The People’s Bureau of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya HE Mr Omar R Jelban 15 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7LY Fax: +44 207 245 0588 c) Write to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and appeal to him to take urgent action regarding the state of the Eritrean refugees in Libya. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees High Commissioner Mr. Antonio Guterres Case Postale 2500 CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt Suisse. Alternatively you can email UNHCR by visiting link http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/contact?hq=y ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please help IHRC by visiting http://www.ihrc.org.uk/catalog and making a donation or buying an item from our on-line store. If you want to subscribe to the IHRC list please send an email to subscribe@ihrc.org If you want to unsubscribe from the IHRC list please send an email from your subscribed email address to unsubscribe@ihrc.org If you are reusing this alert, please cite the source. For more information, please contact the office on the numbers or email below. “And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, (of) those who say: Our Lord! Cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper.” Holy Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 75 Join the Struggle for Justice. Join IHRC. Islamic Human Rights Commission PO Box 598 Wembley HA9 7XH United Kingdom Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222 Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183 Email: info@ihrc.org Web: www.ihrc.org Recommend this article to a friend Your name: Your friend's email address: